`Er' Cast Is Energized By Show's Pace

Just ask that tireless medical mensch Dr. Mark Greene, better known in real life as actor Anthony Edwards.

Working on "ER" is "like being on a submarine. We go into Stage 11 (at Warner Brothers) at 6:30 in the morning, and you're lucky if you get out between that and lunch because everybody's involved," Edwards said.

"And you have no windows. It's either a submarine or like being stuck at a poker table in Vegas. There's no clocks, there's no time, you're just in there."

Not that anyone's seriously complaining. "ER" has been very, very good to all involved.

But the frenetic, high-pressure atmosphere you see on Thursday nights echoes the medical drama's frenzied production environment.

"The set is not really any less chaotic than the show," said "ER" executive producer Lydia Woodward.

"It is a real testament to these actors' ability to concentrate and focus because at any given time, there are 50 crew people and 50 extras around."

But there's also a method to all this medical madness. And the adrenalin-fueled style of making "ER" seeps into the high-intensity stories you see at home.

As No. 1-rated "ER" cruises forcefully through its second season, the cast has learned to go with the fast-paced flow.

"I find that we have to spend a lot less time technically rehearsing both the trauma scenes and those long gurney shots with the rapid-fire dialogue," said Noah Wyle, who plays fresh-faced surgeon wannabe John Carter.

"Because you see the same words pop up time and time again and you sort of get a sense of what you're doing. It becomes almost second nature."

Second nature, perhaps. But still no day at the acting beach.

Edwards did have some initial anxiety about signing on for a potentially long run with a one-hour TV drama, he said. The workdays are endless. And friends who had done one-hour shows "look like they'd been dragged through hell," Edwards joked.

But the quality of the writing on "ER" is heavenly. And that quickly soothed any fears of being beaten down by mediocrity.

"This show works because it feels real," Edwards said. "And I think what happens to Mark Greene feels real to people."

So far, the immense success of "ER" hasn't led to any hurtful Hollywood behavior or ego overload among the cast. Folks are keeping their heads level, Edwards said.

"We're all very cognizant as an ensemble of actors that we are definitely better as a group than we are individually," Edwards said."And that we are all part of this whole thing."